Legalwatch: ‘Matrix: Resurrection’ Lawsuit Alleges Warner Bros. “Eviscerated” Film’s Box Office
In the Matrix: Resurrection lawsuit, Village Roadshow claimed the company knowingly damaged the film’s box office in favor of streaming.
According to Variety, the production company Village Roadshow filed a lawsuit against Warner Brothers on Monday. They did not come to mess around. They allege that WB intentionally disfavored the film to boost streaming revenue.
It’s a tale as old as the pandemic– but why hasn’t the production behemoth settled just with Roadshow? It certainly has with other production companies.
Problems Arise From Theatrical & Streaming Releases
In 2021, Disney’s Black Widow made news when star Scarlett Johansson sued the Mouse for lost revenue. The lawsuit, which sought settlement over the box office gross of the film, was eventually settled.
Through the rest of the year, theater releases were a little touch-and-go. Many films were delayed to 2022– including Warner Bros. productions The Batman and Black Adam.
Over the course of 2021, production companies with direct ties to streaming services began compensated actors, directors, and even production companies when a film premiered in both theaters and on streaming. Warner Bros. films like Dune, The Suicide Squad, and King Richard all required financial settlements for the streaming revenue made by HBO Max– something to the tune of $200 million.
For Resurrection, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Lana Wachowski all received a similar sums. So why isn’t Village Roadshow receiving a payment?
Village Roadshow’s Matrix Resurrection Lawsuit
Village Roadshow maintains that they were not consulted before Warner Bros. decided to dual-stream the film’s premiere. The production company further states that the ‘Dubya-Bee did so in order to bolster the streaming app’s performance. The suit also alleges that, to date, Roadshow has received nothing from the HBO Max release of the film.
The company also claims that the missed revenue from streaming and piracy hurt the film by limiting the likelihood of sequels. Furthermore, the suit says that the loss of revenue could prevent them from making their contractually-obligated payments to Warner Bros, meaning they could lose the rights to the film.
via Warner Bros.
Warner Brothers Responds
Warner Brothers was a little more terse in their response.
“This is a frivolous attempt by Village Roadshow to avoid their contractual commitment to participate in the arbitration that we commenced against them last week,” the studio said. “We have no doubt that this case will be resolved in our favor.”
Warner Brothers’ statement clearly denies any wrongdoing in this situation. But it’s hard to argue with previous payouts the company has made to others.
It will be interesting to see if one of these cases sets some kind of president. Regardless of the red tape surrounding this case, the litigation involving theatrical versus dual-streaming is a conflict that won’t be going away any time soon.
via Warner Bros.
